The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

"Stop with the Stop Signs!"

by Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher/Owner

August 4, 2010

I have had a lot of people telling me about their feelings of dislike for the numerous stop signs going up around Stronghurst.

I guess there was a full house at Monday night's board meeting where some residents were voicing their opinions to the proper authorities rather than at the coffee shop. The board decided to have a public comment session August 16th at 7 p.m. at the City Hall to get this over with. It will give residents a chance to talk and bring their ideas "to see if a mutual agreement could be reached." In the mean time, Mayor Chockley said, no more signs are to be installed until the matter has been openly discussed.

The meeting will be a good thing for everyone. One man said he thought the ones who live here should have a say in making the laws and felt the many signs were making our town difficult to drive through. "It gives an unfriendly feeling," he told me. Another fellow said, that's why he moved here, to get away from the big city craziness and his loss of a vote. "This is a rural country community, and it was a friendly town, not like Chicago that raises revenue by signs!"

Others commented that they had thought the stop signs were about concern for safety around the school yard and they were being installed to insure students crossed safely.

A couple of older residents said that they had liked having the stop signs installed, and didn't know you could get one just by requesting one at a board meeting.

Yet, another man approached me and said, "Help us get our town back by exposing this travesty."

Other younger residents pointed out a web-site on Facebook STOPhurst, Illinois that had 243 unhappy folks on it from in town, and around the county. That is all good and well, but if you have strong feelings, board members aren't mind-readers and it's time to come to a board meeting and express what you would like to see done. If you are still unhappy, the matter can be settled at the next election of town council members.

Whichever choice you make, by participating in the democratic process of the voters expressing their wills, it stands a better chance of a more amiable solution for the betterment of all of Stronghurst.